On February 24th, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has since killed thousands, displaced millions and destroyed entire cities. Despite international appeals for Volodymyr Zelensky, and his family, to be evacuated to a safe location during the opening days of the invasion, the 44-year-old president stayed in Kyiv with his defence forces. It's hard to imagine how this bright, comedic, family man, has ended up in one of the most dangerous positions in the world, with a giant target on his back. 10 months on, and still fighting from the ground, Zelensky has been named TIME Person of the Year 2022. With comparisons to Winston Churchill, as a war time leader, his impact is undeniable. Utilising his acting skills he is embodying everything it means to have the spirit of Ukraine.
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation (2000)
This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series, examines the life works of one of Hollywood's most celebrated animators, Chuck (Charles M.) Jones. He is best known for Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe LePew. Included are plenty of behind-the-scenes descriptions of how an animated film is made, and (best of all) many clips from Chuck's cartoons.
The Battle of the Sexes (2013)
Tennis star and women’s rights activist Billie Jean King won a total of 12 Grand Slam titles, but the biggest match of her career took place in 1973 against former men’s champion Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed male chauvinist pig who declared that, even at the age of 55, he could beat any woman in the world.
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)
From 1915-1939, Frances Marion was one of the most powerful talents in the movie industry. In one of the most liberating eras for women in film, she wrote more than 200 movies and was the world's highest paid screenwriter - man or woman. Kathy Bates gives voice to Marion's words from her letters, diaries, and memoirs. Includes commentary by silent film historian Kevin Brownlow, critic Leonard Maltin, and Marion's celebrated biographer Cari Beauchamp. Current women filmmakers reflect on the legacy left to them by Marion and the pioneering women of early Hollywood.
The True Story of Killing Pablo (2002)
The career and death of notorious Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu (1998)
Documentary recounting the life story of Louise Brooks in 5 sections: "Lulu in Toe Shoes"; "Lulu in Hollywood"; "Lulu in Berlin"; "Lulu in Hell"; and "Resurrection".
John Ford: The Man Who Invented America (2019)
Over a 50-year career and more than a hundred movies, filmmaker John Ford (1894-1973) forged the legend of the Far West. By giving a face to the underprivileged, from humble cowboys to persecuted minorities, he revealed like no one else the great social divisions that existed and still exist in the United States. More than four decades after his death, what remains of his legacy and humanistic values in the memory of those who love his work?
The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove (2000)
A documentary about the making of Stanley Kubricks 1964 film Dr Strangelove Or: How I Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and his career leading up to this film.
Carmel (2009)
Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitaï offers a look impressionist long history of armed conflict in their nation.
Armstrong (2019)
Dramatic, moving and deeply human, ARMSTRONG offers the definitive life story of Neil Armstrong: from his childhood in Ohio to his first steps on the Moon, and beyond.
Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild (2012)
Over three very personal films, Sir David Attenborough looks back at the unparalleled changes in natural history that he has witnessed during his 60-year career.
Josephine Baker: The Story of an Awakening (2018)
How did a poor little black girl from Missouri become the Queen of Paris, before joining the French Resistance and finally creating her dream family “The Rainbow Tribe”, adopting twelve children from four corners of the world? This is the fabulous story of the first black superstar, Josephine Baker.
A Brief History of Time (1991)
This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.
Tony Parker: The Final Shot (2021)
The background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.
Anjelica Huston on James Joyce: A Shout in the Street (2017)
An account of the life and work of Irish writer James Joyce (1882-1941) narrated by US actress Anjelica Huston.
A Mulher da Luz Própria (2019)
Helena Ignez is one of the main female figures of Brazilian cinema. She developed a new style of acting. Nowadays, she directs independent films. The documentary tells some of the History of Brazilian cinema, its political context and Helena's trajectory.
Larisa (1980)
Elem Klimov's documentary ode to his wife, director Larisa Shepitko, who was killed in an auto wreck.
Ver a Hilda Vera (1998)
A living room, two video cameras, an armchair, two televisions and a mirror: domestic daily life in which colleagues, family and friends come together to decipher the life, personality and artistic trajectory of one of the most important actresses of Venezuelan Cinema: Hilda Vera
The Florence Foster Jenkins Story (2016)
Florence Foster Jenkins is known as "the worst singer of all times" and yet she is a cult figure whose recordings still outsell many contemporary singers. Opera superstar Joyce DiDonato interprets the flamboyant "queen of dissonance". The involvement of the celebrated virtuoso makes it possible to contrast two different musical perspectives and gives viewers a vivid impression of the film's key conflict between inner delusion and external reality.